Xs and Os (Tic tac toe)

Three in a row. It is the first strategy game most of us ever play, scratched on paper, drawn in sand, fogged on a car window. Everyone calls it something different: tic tac toe, noughts and crosses, zero kaata, Xs and Os.

In GroupGames.ai it becomes a proper head to head. Two players each move on their own phone, the rest of the crew watches live, and a match of up to five rounds settles who really is the champion of the table.

Create a crew and play

At a glance

Players2 (the rest of the crew watches)
Board3 by 3
TurnNo timer
Match1 to 5 rounds, the opening player alternates
You needTwo phones, or one phone passed between a parent and a kid

How to play

  1. One player is X and the other is O.
  2. Players take turns placing their mark in an empty square.
  3. The first player to get three marks in a row, across, down or diagonally, wins the round.
  4. If all nine squares fill up with no line of three, the round is a draw.

How it works in GroupGames.ai

Choosing two players for Xs and Os from the crew
Pick the two players from your crew. Everyone else watches the board on their own phone.
Xs and Os board mid game with raised X and O marks
Tap a square to place your mark. It appears instantly on your screen and on everyone else’s a moment later. You cannot move out of turn, and a lost connection never loses the board.
Winning line highlighted with points for the winner
The winning line lights up on every phone. Tap Rematch to go again with the other player starting.

Scoring

  • Win a round: 10 points.
  • Draw: 5 points each.
  • Points go on the crew leaderboard alongside every other game.

What makes ours different

  • Fair starts. The player who moves first alternates every round, so nobody keeps the advantage.
  • Matches, not single games. Play up to five rounds and see who comes out on top.
  • Spectators and reactions. The crew watches every move and can send emoji reactions and friendly taunts.
  • Sound and feel. Each mark lands with a small sound, and wins get a proper celebration. You can mute it any time.

Strategy: how to never lose at tic tac toe

Perfect play is always a draw. If both players make the best move every time, nobody can win. So the real game is making fewer mistakes than your opponent.

Start in a corner. A corner opening leaves your opponent the most ways to go wrong. Their only safe reply is the centre.

Take the centre if they start in a corner. Anything else gives the first player a winning route.

Build a fork. Make a move that creates two lines that each need one more mark. Your opponent can block only one.

Always block first. Before planning your own line, check whether your opponent is about to complete theirs.

Ways to play

Best of five. Set the match to five rounds with the opening player alternating. Close matches make great spectator sport.

Winner stays on. After each match, the winner picks the next challenger from the crew.

Teach a kid. Play as a kid seat on your phone. It is the perfect first strategy game: children learn to look ahead and block.

Common mistakes

  • Forgetting to block. Most games are lost by missing the opponent’s two in a row.
  • Opening on an edge. It gives your opponent the easiest route to a draw or a trap.
  • Playing the same way every time. Regular opponents learn your habits. Mix corners and the centre.

A short history

Three in a row games are ancient. Boards scratched onto roofing tiles in Egypt date from around 1300 BC, and the Romans played a moving piece version called terni lapilli, though historians are not sure it is a direct ancestor. The name noughts and crosses appears in print in Britain in 1858. In 1952 a Cambridge researcher, Sandy Douglas, programmed a version called OXO on the EDSAC computer, making it one of the earliest known video games, and its computer opponent never lost.

FAQ

Is tic tac toe always a draw? Only when both players play perfectly. Between real people, mistakes happen all the time, which is why rounds still get won.

Is it better to go first? Yes. The first player can never be forced to lose and has more chances to set a trap. That is why we alternate the opening player every round.

What is the best first move? A corner. The centre is also strong. The edges are the weakest opening.

How many possible games of tic tac toe are there? Counting every order of moves, there are 255,168 possible games.

Why is it called noughts and crosses? Nought is an old word for zero, so the name simply describes the two marks: zeros and crosses.

What is a fork in tic tac toe? A move that creates two different lines that each need just one more mark. Your opponent can only block one of them, so you win on your next turn.

Why do the spectators matter? They make it a show. In a crew, everyone can watch the board, react with emojis and send friendly taunts, which turns a quick game into a table event.

Can I play against the computer? Not yet. Xs and Os in GroupGames.ai is for two people, which is where the fun is.

Can two people play on one phone? A parent and a kid can share one phone. For two adults, use two phones so each move stays with its owner.

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